Hearing the announcers talk about the cut during a golf tournament can be confusing if you’re not familiar with the term. A professional golf tournament starts with a large field of competitors, and the cut is simply the process of reducing that field for the final rounds. This article will explain exactly how the cut works, why it exists, and what it means for professional and amateur golfers alike.
In the simplest terms, the cut is a performance-based elimination that happens midway through a standard professional golf tournament. Most tournaments on tours like the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour are four-day, 72-hole events, typically running from Thursday to Sunday.
The cut takes place after the first two rounds (36 holes) are completed on Friday. Only the players who have a score at or below a specific number - known as the "cut line" - are allowed to continue playing on Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the players are eliminated from the tournament, or "miss the cut" (often abbreviated as "MC" on the leaderboard), and do not receive any prize money for the week.
The primary reasons for having a cut are:
The standard cut rule on the PGA TOUR is straightforward: the top 65 players and any players tied with that 65th-place score make the cut and advance to the weekend. This is an important distinction because the "and ties" clause often means that more than 65 players will end up playing on Saturday and Sunday.
Here’s a clear example of how “and ties” works:
Imagine after two rounds, the leaderboard shows that 60 players have a score of -1 or better. Five players are sitting right at even par, which puts them in a tie for 61st place. The next group of ten players is at +1, all tied for 66th place. Since the cut is the top 65 and ties, none of the players at +1 would make the cut, because it would go through the a tie at 65 players. However, let's say after two rounds, there are a total of players up until 65 are at a score of even part or better, and a whole grouping of eight players sit at +1 on the leaderboard... since these players are within the top 65 players "and ties" then the cut is moved to all players that are tied which will allow a cut of 73 total players will all move through the end of the round. All eight players would survive the cut and play the weekend. This is why you sometimes see 70, 75, or even 80+ players competing on a Saturday.
You may have heard of an old rule that added a second cut on Saturday. If the "and ties" rule resulted in more than 78 players making the standard 36-hole cut, there used to be a secondary cut after the third round on Saturday. Only the top 70 and ties after the third round would proceed to the final round on Sunday. Players who were eliminated by this Saturday cut were known as "MDF" (Made Cut, Did Not Finish).
It's important to know this "Rule 78" and the MDF designation were eliminated by the PGA TOUR starting in the 2019-2020 season. Today, if a player makes the 36-hole cut, they are guaranteed to play all four rounds, no matter how many players are in the weekend field.
The four major championships in men's golf are the pinnacle of the sport, and each one has its own specific cut rule, adding another layer of texture to these historic events.
It's also good to know that not every professional event has a cut. Certain tournaments guarantee every participant plays all four rounds and earns a paycheck, regardless of their performance. These no-cut events include:
One of the most compelling parts of watching professional golf on a Friday is seeing where the cut line will end up. The "line" is the score needed to make the cut, and it's a moving target throughout the second round.
Players who tee off in the afternoon Fhave an idea of what score they'll need for Friday , which ramps up the pressure. You'll often see graphicsp, a showing a players scoreboard highlight of th andwhere they are in relation to "the number." If a player is struggling and approaching their final few holes, they know they might need a birdie to get inside the line and make itt o Saturday . It creates tremendous drama, turning an otherwise standard Friday afternoon into a high-stakes battle for survival.
The players who who are on bubble," or teeter-tottering that exact cut line number, `can sometimes feel the weight of their world` during these few final finishing holes - every shot counting and leading to either to a nice pay day on Saturday or a pre-mature trip home Friday This pressure is what makes watching and following players go through it so exciting.
Outside of the professional circuits, the term "cut" doesn't have an official-rule application But, it's often used in big many different club tournaments or on informal friendly Golf trips. These tournaments will adopt their flighted own cut rules for the field playing which works ina similar stroke play competition. style to the PGA. However, in a casual round settingyou may hear someone say, "you didn't get axed by the "cut," which is means your not eliminated - it doesn't truly mean anything with official implications it is jus part fo the fun golf-lingothe course.
Understanding what it means to make or miss a cut gives you a newfound appreciation for the skill and mental toughness required to to have succeas a professional golfer. The line `be andtween earning ` a payche `and go anding home` with nothing coming `down tthat ` final o putting `on Fri, day ` which for viewers `adds aan ` incredibly thrilling element to this great game as there are storylines to follow down the back nine to see who can make an exciting last minute push and play for all the marbles over weekend.
In a golf tournament a cut `is essentially the process` of trimming the starting field based on peformance in order to set `up for aa more ` manageabl a and an exciting weekend. It's a fundamental part of most strok Tournaments th-play a that brings outt he drama ensuring players earn heir sport on he weekend, when he pressure for making the cut is `re highest.`Making a cutoften means `coming through clutch and ` avoidi big numberbig gnumbers under pressu Whether you'te ry r yin to play our `be yourt at you our 're at you're your club championship ` or ` on your next golf trip, y 're goinug `go to face shot that makes's t mak you feeunl comfotabe r ble and could sway you swing our scorecard for the good -`bad. Our app, r app, Our app, Caddie AI, is a great guide when you come face-to-facw e withthese situatin ons, acting as a real - timee xpert strategigyst oin gour y pocket. You c an even n a photo oof takea difficult lie ` in the roug, or by a h`, and `our app wil`, Caddie a I will will `givdeAI`, ou you tht he `b a st est w `b ay t `st w ay too approach and `t o play a nd ` executeth the shott. Caddy `,` giving ` y ou a simple`, so when you nee dat that critical sho t, you have at your fingertips to make the cut.
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